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DUSON, La. (KLFY) A Duson woman is offering a $2,000 reward after she says her two donkeys were shot, killing one and injuring the other.
Kelli Briscoe and her husband own the 50-acre pasture where their donkeys, Fred and Ashley were shot Monday night.
Briscoe says when she got to the pasture, she found a lifeless Fred near the driveway and Ashley suffering from a bullet wound in her head.
“He was dead about 10 feet from the gravel road. And then we found our female donkey a little bit further down standing up with her nose bleeding and she had a gunshot wound that entered here and started to come out above her eye.”
Briscoe says Ashley was taken to the LSU Veterinary Hospital where she is still hanging on.
She says X-ray scans show the bullet is still in her skull blinding her in the left eye.
Veterinarians are waiting until the swelling goes down before attempting to remove the bullet and possibly her eye.
Kathryn LeBlanc with the LSU school of medicine says when Ashley got to the hospital, she suffered some nerve damage which stops her from eating and swallowing.
“They found cranial nerves number nine, ten, even, and twelve to be damaged. A few of them have to do with swallowing reflexes so even if she wanted to eat, she couldn’t swallow. “
As of Thursday morning she is showing signs of improvement, Leblanc said.
“This morning she was able to eat a little bit which means that the nerve damage is not as severe as we thought which is great news.”
For the past twelve years Briscoe says Fred and Ashley brought joy to her family. She says they were lovable donkeys who knew a few tricks.
“They even knew how to smile. My sister taught them tricks, how to smile, they loved their treats. They were very friendly, lovable donkeys, it is just a shame.”
Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson says the incident is irresponsible and it makes no sense to shoot at animals that pose no threat. If the person or people who are responsible are caught, they could be charged with cruelty to animals and illegal discharge of a firearm.
Briscoe says what happened to Fred and Ashley is not only cruel but evil. To help defray cost, a GoFundMe has been set up and can be found here.
Anyone with information or possible video surveillance of the area near Riceland Road should contact the Acadia Parish Sheriff’s Office or your local law enforcement.
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